Saturday, April 26, 2008

We have all had relatives and friends who have been affected by cancer. It is a harsh reality that seems to work its way into everyone’s lives at some point. Things have come a long way the last several years, but we still have quite a bit further to go before it is a thing of the past. With research, education, and service comes new hope. Now is our chance--as a community--to do our part to help fund the work for a brighter tomorrow.

This year marks Carmel’s third Relay for Life. Many communities have had a Relay for several years now. It is a 24-hour team event at the Carmel High School football stadium. Teams keep at least one member walking or running around the track for the entire event. It begins on Saturday, June 7th, at 10:00 AM to Sunday, June 8th, at 10:00 AM.

As the team captain for Team Woodbrook, I would like to invite you, your family, and anyone else you would like to recruit, to join our team and help the Woodbrook family to raise money for The American Cancer Society. You can help by joining the team, sponsoring, or volunteering for the event. You would not need to be there for the entire 24 hours; just come on out and put in a couple hour shift for the team. If you’d like to help with the fundraising, creating a great “campsite” on the field.

If you’ve never experienced a Relay for Life, it is a wonderful event. There will be door prizes, entertainment, and a chance to hang out and relax. It’s a fun time to spend with friends and colleagues, and honor those in our lives who have suffered from this terrible disease. There is a registration fee of $10 per participating team member, which goes to the cause. If you’d like any more information, please contact me at jcarter1@ccs.k12.in.us.

Please consider joining the team--and, in turn--the fight against cancer.

Sincerely,

Jeff Carter Woodbrook Team Captain

This letter went home this week, but I'd like to add that the kids have been hard at work this week coming up with ways to keep Team Woodbrook up and running. We'll need help with getting the bags distributed around the track, fundraising before (WE REALLY WANT TO HAVE A CARWASH!), fundraising there, and coming up with a theme lap hour for the event. If any parents out there (assuming anyone still checks this blog) have any interest in helping out, PLEASE get in contact with me. Your kids are extremely interested in helping. (Of course, my enthusiasm is hopefully rubbing off on them.)

Friday, April 25, 2008

Next week we go to the Ruth Lilly Center to have The Talk. That's on Thursday, so make sure you pack a sack lunch for that day with a drink and, of course, make sure the whole thing is completely disposable. Oh, and make sure you send in your permission slips for that one. They should be going home today.

This week was pretty wonky, between guest speakers, a field trip, and the odd schedule we had yesterday because of the third grade program. I'm sure there was more stuff toward the beginning of the week which, by now, is part of my memory the same way the Challenger Disaster is back there somewhere.

As we zero in on the end of the year, we're working harder and harder to make sure that a.) everything gets crammed in, and b.) the kids don't go completely crazy. Spring has sprung, believe me.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Ini mini mini mo, catcha tiger by its toe, if he likes chicken let him go big old potty got toed. It is the beginning of the dum (which is nicer than stupid) chronicles. E=mc2. The energy inside an object is equal to its mass times the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). Which means an objects mass would have to be infinite to have enough energy to move at the speed of light(186,000 miles per second). Boombasdebamba(see you next time). But theres not going to be a next time because the person who is(not) paying me for this will see this and think it is stupid. Byebye Noogynanapooschoo (this is dumb) (which is nicer word than stupid).

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Hey, folks. Not a whole not of new stuff to report, but I hope everyone had a good half day. Just a reminder here that next week is the trip to the Ruth Lilly Center. It's on Thursday. Send a lunch with your kids, completely disposable. You should have that down to a science now, right?

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Okay, wow. Have I ever gotten a reaction of e-mail from you guys. Let me first state that I didn't mean anything by the "personal problems have led me to be unable to fulfill my duties as the team captain of Team Woodbrook". By that, I meant that I've been spending way too much time doing karate and tutoring, and have been left with very little time to do anything else. Just let me state for the record that I'm perfectly fine. Could I use some help with Relay for Life? Absolutely. But that's about it.

I sincerely appreciate your concern. Honestly, I don't know anyone else who receives this much support from the parents of his students--both past and present.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Well, it has been a pretty crazy week since Spring Break ended. This week we have to head full throttle into the material we still have to cover, but mostly reviewing what we’ve done this year so far. I hope everyone is ready, because from here on out, it’s pretty much a roller coaster. First off, I wanted to thank the moms for helping with the trip to the Indianapolis Museum of Art the other day. This was a great trip, and the kids--at least the kids in my immediate group, but seemingly the others too--enjoyed the experience to go and look at the different artists and ethnic artifacts from all over the world.

Second of all, we had a visit from Buckeye and Hollowbones on Thursday. Buckeye and Hollowbones are two ladies from out in the wilderness of a long time ago. They share the ways of the backwoods with the kids in a very entertaining way. I’m always impressed at how these two can do such a great job of keeping the kids’ interest with their stories and strange lingo. All I know is that these ladies are incredible conveyors of a time that, in the grand scheme of things, was just yesterday.

MATH In my Math class recently, we’ve been working a lot with decimals and computation. Be on the lookout for my summer math packet that the kids can be working on throughout the summer. I told them that before they go into “seventh grade math” in middle school, they’re going to have to have quite a few things mastered. We’ve been feverishly going over these things lately (if your child tells you they have no homework these days--except for Fridays--they’re most likely “mistaken”). Look for a summer packet to come home to help you keep them refreshed during those weeks before sixth grade begins.

READING This week, we’ll be doing quite a bit in reading. We’ll be heading to the computer lab during the half day on Wednesday to do a Criterion writing project, and we’ll be reading a short book on how to build a greenhouse during most of this week.

In addition to all this, we’ll be having Spelling as usual, and there is of course a quiz for Caesar’s English on Wednesday morning.

Bits of Business·This weekend, I thought of a way anyone can help me out if they still want to. Because of some personal business, I’ve been unable to fulfill my duties as captain of Team Woodbrook for this year’s Relay for Life at Carmel High School over June 7-8, 2008. Relay for Life is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. As someone who has even within the past week dealt with the horrible reality of cancer, I’m sure many of you have dealt with this harrowing disease. If anyone would be interested in helping, I’d like to set up an fundraiser any time between now and then. I was thinking we could do a carwash, but I was hoping someone out there could help me out with the logistics. I don’t know anyone who could set this up for us. I was thinking the kids from my class could help by coming out for it (of course I would be there) and helping wash cars or something like that. Maybe you have a better idea. Anything. Please give me a call if you have any ideas or connections that could help with this.

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot.”--Eleanor Roosevelt

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Today, the last day before Spring Break, I want to publish a poem that one of the kids wrote this week. I asked him permission to post it, and I asked him if he wanted me to put his name under it. He said yes to both.GriefLast goodbyes and tributes to lifeOld photographs of happy timesThe lump in your throatTears falling from your eyesFragrant flowers everywhereGrief gets me through the painTo face the future